Summer Haunting
by TailsLovesCosmo
Summary: Amy and her friends rent a beach house for the summer. But the area is struck by a storm, trapping them. Then the accidents start. Did Cream fall in the pool by accident? Did the old bannister just break under Cosmo's weight? Or are they being stalked?
1. Chapter 1

I know, I promised this house in the beginning of the summer, and it's nearly autumn now! Please forgive the lateness. I'll try to update this often.

SUMMER HAUNTING

Chapter One

"Too Good To Be True"

The frayed windshield wipers on the old car smeared the rain more than anything else. It hit a rut in the road, causing the vehicle to shake violently. The rabbit in the back seat squealed as she fell over, bumping into the hedgehog girl sitting beside her.

The creature on the other side of the hedgehog was the strangest looking of the girls inside the vehicle. She had no nose, and flowers grew where her ears should have been. Cosmo, an alien plant, was staring forlornly out the window. When the lightning flashed, she cringed, then sighed and started staring again.

In the front seat, a pink hedgehog stared at a map. Every so often, she'd turn it from side to side, as if completely confused by it. Each time she did, the hedgehog in the back seat giggled. The driver, a bat, clearly didn't see the joke.

"Amy," the bat said at last, "if you can't read the map, then pass it to Anita or Cosmo. I think we're going in circles."

"No," I can do this," Amy Rose insisted, even though she knew full well that she was hopelessly confused. "Anita has no sense of direction, and Cosmo's too spacey."

"That's not nice," Cream said. "Cosmo's really smart. If it weren't for her, I'd've failed French. Right, Cosmo?"

"I'm sorry," the plant girl said. "Did you say something, Cream?"

"See?" Amy said. "Where were you just now, Cosmo?"

"Oh," Cosmo said, "I was just thinking, I'd really love to stick my head out the window, but I'm afraid of lightning."

"Why would you want to stick your head out the window?!" Rouge demanded, making a rude sound.

"It's raining," Cosmo said, as if that explained everything. The hedgehog sitting beside her giggled again.

"Quiet, you!" Amy said to the other hedgehog.

"Now, now," Anita said, grinning. "If you're mean to me, I'll have to tell my big brother, Sonic!"

"Blackmailer!" Amy said. She didn't really think Anita would fink on her, but couldn't afford to take the chance. Sonic had been overjoyed to find his little sister last autumn. Now that Sonic seemed finally over Princess Sally Acorn, Amy was hoping he'd finally start to pay attention to _her_. If Anita went whining to her brother that Amy was picking on her, he might change his mind about giving her a chance.

"Blackmail's a smelly word," Anita said. She was reading a manga with a penlight. Amy looked at it. "Vampires Versus Werewolves on Wheels." She rolled her eyes. Amy had thought that only Tails' crazy brother, Simon, had such wacky tastes.

"I can't believe this weather!" Rouge complained. "It was perfectly clear when we started!"

"It's like the place we're going to is haunted," Cream said.

"Well, the guy did seem really happy we were taking it off his hands, didn't he, Rouge?" Amy admitted.

"Oh sure," Rouge snorted. "Now you believe me?!?"

****

It was the last week in June, and Rouge and Amy had rented a beach house for everyone. Unfortunately, most of their friends had had business to take care of, and only Cream, Cosmo, and Anita had been free to go with them. Strangely, the agent had seemed very eager to let them have the building at a surprisingly low price. Too eager. Rouge had been suspicious, but Amy had laughed it off.

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth!" Amy'd said.

"You don't get something for nothing," Rouge had insisted. "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is."

But Amy had been too depressed by the fact that Sonic couldn't come with her to listen. She had started her spiel about their destiny together.

"And we'll live in a big house on the beach, like the one we're renting," Amy had said, staring blankly into space and starting to drool a little, "and we'll have seven sons and seven daughters, and their names will be…"

"I don't want to hear the names of your fourteen imaginary kids again!" Rouge had yelled as they'd left the agent's office. "Seriously, you need to get a life!"

"You're just jealous because I'm getting closer to Sonic now than you are to Knuckles!" Amy had insisted.

"Seriously, you're delusional," Rouge had said. While Sonic was no longer running from Amy Rose, he had shown little interest in anything other than friendship with her.

"At least Sonic isn't dating other girls," Amy pointed out.

Rouge had spun around, intending to kick the hedgehog, but had stopped. Amy was right. Knuckles was seeing both Julie-Su and Shade. The fact that the other two girls were both echidnas like he was made her wonder sometimes if she really had a chance. There was Shadow, but he treated her like a nuisance. Then of course there was…No! No way! She'd go out with a hobo before she'd seriously consider dating Eggman!

****

"Turn left up here, Rouge," Amy said, looking back at the map.

"Amy," Rouge said, "you've been telling me to turn left every time we come to a fork in the road since we started. We might as well be on a merry-go-round!"

"Yeah!" Cream said. "That would be fun, wouldn't it, Cheese?"

"Chao chao!" Cream's best friend, a strange-looking blue creature, agreed.

"Cheese thinks so," Cream said. "How about you, Anita?"

"I like the rides where you go plunging into the dark and can't be sure you won't crash right into something!" Anita said, grinning fiendishly.

"Uh…okay," Cream said. "Uh…how 'bout you, Cosmo?"

"What?" Cosmo said. "Don't you just love rain, Cream?"

"It's like we're all on our own planet!" Cream muttered to Cheese.

"Chao chao!" Cheese agreed.

Anita giggled again. She was enjoying watching everyone get on each other's nerves.

Amy Rose was feeling the same way the bunny did. Cream was her best friend, and Cosmo had been invited onto Team Rose as soon as she'd come back, but the others were too different for Amy to care much for them. Anita had been emotionally scarred by her imprisonment by the mad scientist, Doctor Eggman, and Rouge…well, Amy had never really trusted Rouge. She would have preferred it if Shade the echidna warrior had come with them instead. But Shade had business in space. Hopefully, she'd be able to join them in a few days.

"I miss Tails," Cosmo said suddenly.

"I miss Bokkun," Cream said.

"You have got to be kidding me, kid!" Rouge said. "How can you miss that little weirdo?"

Cream folded her arms. "He makes me laugh," she said. "And he's completely loyal!"

"Is that a dig?" Rouge demanded. Knuckles had made no secret of the fact that he was seeing more than one girl. Besides Rouge and Shade, he was also going out with Julie-Su. It was the general consensus that Knuckles was an idiot.

"I miss Sonic," Amy sighed.

"I miss Sonic picking his nose!" Anita said, giggling uncontrollably. As Sonic's sister, Anita had known all of her brother's bad habits and idiosyncrasies. Amy had pumped her for information, but Anita was mischievous, and tended to just repeat things that Amy already knew.

"Quit it!" Amy cried. "I don't want to hear negative things about my Sonic!" She folded her hands and squealed. "Oh, I can't wait to see him again!" She sighed. "At least Tails will be by for Cosmo in three days. I won't see Sonic for five! Five days away from my one true love!"

"That would make a good name for a romance novel," Rouge admitted. "Like 'Crying Out Love In the Center of the World.'"

"Or 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn,'" Cosmo said. Everyone stared at her. "I heard it in a cartoon," she admitted. They continued to stare at her. "I'm not sure what it means, but it sounded good to me." Well, she was a plant after all.

"Or 'He Makes Me Laugh,'" Cream added. That surprised no one.

"Or 'The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living And Became Mixed-Up Zombies,'" Anita suggested with a straight face. Everyone stopped staring at Cosmo and started staring at her.

"Boom!" Lightning just missed their car.

Cosmo jumped. "I hate lightning!" she cried. "So does Tails. That's important, isn't it? Having things in common with your boyfriend?"

"You and Tails don't have too much else in common, do you?" Rouge asked. "You love nature, he loves science labs."

"Well, what about you?" Amy demanded. "A jewel thief dating a jewel guardian!"

"Former jewel thief," Rouge pointed out. "And who better to guard something than a former thief? I know every trick a burglar can try to pull on somebody." Rouge grinned. "How about you and Sonic? A stalker and her stalkee!"

"I am _not_ a stalker!" Amy yelled.

"Please, Amy, calm down!" Cosmo said. "There's no reason for fighting!"

"You're a real tree hugger," Rouge said. "Well, you've been a tree. What was it like?"

"Well…you can feel heat and cold and wind and water more, but you can't move except as much as the wind blows your branches," Cosmo said. "It's peaceful…but lonely."

"I'd…rather not remember that time," Cream said, shivering. The final battle against Dark Oak had affected everyone to some extent. Rouge the least, Cosmo and Tails the most.

"Me too," Cosmo agreed, looking out the window again.

"It's too bad Blaze and Shade couldn't make it," Cream said.

"I'm just glad Marine isn't with us," Amy said. "Five hours in a small, closed in area, with 'Oi'm the captain, mates!' I'd lose my marbles!"

"Oh?" Rouge asked. "When did you find them?"

"Oh ha hah!" Amy said. "Turn left here."

"Again?" Rouge demanded.

****

Back in Mobotropolis, Blaze went over the list of items she would bring with her when she joined the others on the beach. She hadn't gone with them because she needed to take care of a few things first. Among them, she wanted to try to decide what her true feelings for Silver were. Was he really just a friend, a naïve boy that made her laugh when she was unhappy, or something more? Also, Blaze didn't like Rouge or Anita. The bat was too rude and crude, and the hedgehog had a very weird sense of humor. Besides, while she liked Cosmo, the plant girl's death and resurrection brought strange images to her mind. Had she had a nightmare about dying?

"Hey, Blaze!" came a voice. The cat jumped, and spun around. She saw Mina Mongoose approaching her. "Are you okay?"

"Of course I am," Blaze said, embarrassed that the other girl had scared her. "Did you want something?"

"I'm heading out for my concert tonight," Mina said. "I was wondering when you were going to the beach house? Maybe we can travel together."

"We'll see," Blaze said. She wasn't sure what she thought of the mongoose. Actors and musicians were strange people. Where she came from , many were thieves. "I may not be able to get away for awhile yet."

"Oh." Mina was a good judge of character, and sensed that the cat didn't like her. "Well…I'll see you tomorrow then. Bye-bye!"

"Yeah," Blaze said. "Good bye."

Blaze started packing the supplies she was taking. Being at the beach was no reason to be a slob. Paper plates and plastic utensils were degrading. She started placing her good china in a box.

"Hey, Blaze!"

Blaze jumped, dropping a plate. She fell on her face catching it. She looked up at the raccoon who had sneaked up on her.

"Marine, you are going to drive me up the wall!"

"You'd look funny, droiving a cah up the road, mate!" Marine said. She pantomimed driving. "Vroom! Vroom! Oi'm driving meself up the wall!"

"Nature beat you to it!" Blaze muttered. "What do you want?" she asked out loud.

"Just bored, mate," Marine said. "Oi was planning on going with those blokes what left this morning, but somehow me alarm clock got shut off. How d'ya suppose that happened?"

Blaze had a good idea. "I'm sure I don't know, Marine. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm busy."

"Okay, mate, Oi'll see ya around!" Marine slapped Blaze on the back, causing her to drop another plate. This time the cat caught it with her face. "Nice catch! Good on ya, Blaze! Well, Oi'm off!"

"You certainly are!" Blaze muttered as the raccoon left. Most likely, Amy or Anita had shut off Marine's alarm clock hoping she'd oversleep so they could get away before she woke up. Blaze knew she definitely didn't want to be trapped in a car with that girl.

****

In the car, Anita decided she was bored, and turned on the radio. She changed the station several times. "…shades of night are fall…and in today's news…do you suffer from…R.E.S.P.E.C.T.…Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a…meanwhile, rain in the area…!"

"Anita!" Amy yelled. "Stop changing the station!"

"There's nothing good on," the other hedgehog complained. "I wish I'd brought my keyboard, I'd play some good music!"

"But…I liked the music you just played on the radio," Cosmo said. She and Tails tended to prefer oldies music.

"Let's sing!" Cream suggested. "I'm Henry the eighth I am…"

Rouge made faces as the others joined in. "I'm in a loony bin!" she muttered.

"Second verse, same as the first!" Cream shouted at the end of the first verse..

"NO!" Rouge yelled. "No second verse! Sing something else or shut up!"

The others looked at each other.

Cream shrugged. "It was a one eyed, one horned, flying purple people eater…"

Rouge plotted several gruesome murders in her mind.

"You're not singing, Rouge!" Cream said after awhile.

"Yeah, how about that?" Rouge demanded. "Oh, look! A fork in the road! Which way should we turn, Amy? Left? Why, certainly!"

"Okay, okay," Amy said, turning her back on the bat while resisting the urge to bring out her pico-pico hammer. "I get the message." She squinted at the map. "We should turn…uh…where are we?!"

Rouge hit the brake. Amy hit the dashboard. Cream and Cosmo hit the windows. Anita, who hadn't fastened her seatbelt, went flying into the front seat and ended up between Rouge and Amy, upside-down.

"Well, hello there!" Anita said. "Fancy meeting you two here!"

Cream and Cosmo squealed as they grabbed Anita and pulled her back into the back seat.

"Are you okay, Anita?" Cream asked. She held up two fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Yellow," Anita said.

Cosmo placed her hand against Anita's forehead. "Do you feel dizzy? I can help if you have a headache!"

"I'm fine, Mother," Anita said, pushing both girls away from her. "It's not a big deal!"

"It most certainly is!" Cosmo insisted. "You could have been seriously injured! What if you'd gone through the windshield?!?"

"Yeah," Rouge said, "this car is a rental."

"That's not what she means!" Cream said huffily.

"Chao chao!" Cheese agreed.

"Just kidding," Rouge said, rolling her eyes. "Let me see that map, Amy!" She snatched it out of the pink hedgehog's hands. Five pairs of eyes looked the map over. And five brains all came to the same conclusion.

"We're lost," Rouge said. "Now what?"

"I'll ask the trees nearby if they know where a house is," Cosmo said, getting out of the car. She walked up to a tree, laid a hand on the trunk, and shut her eyes.

"It really creeps me out the way she does that," Amy said. "It's a good thing Tails is really tolerant of that kind of thing."

"Be nice," Cream begged. "We almost lost Cosmo for good you know."

Amy made a face. "I know. I try not to think about that, because that freaks me out a lot more!":

"What does, Amy?" Cosmo asked, returning to the car.

"Uh…nothing," Amy said. "Find out anything?"

"May I see the map, please?" Cosmo asked. Rouge held it up. Cosmo placed her index finger on a small lake. "We should be just east of this lake. So we're probably around this area." She moved her finger around a small area on the east of the lake.

Rouge glared at Amy. "We're at least twenty miles out of our way!" She hit Amy with the map.

"Ow!" Amy yelled, covering her face. "Twenty miles isn't that far!"

"Yeah," Cream agreed. "Sonic could run there in about a second!"

Amy sighed. "Sadly, my Sonic isn't here, and…Cosmo's dripping all over the back seat!!"

"Oh!" Cosmo cried, just now noticing she was soaking wet. "I'm so sorry!"

"This is a rental car," Amy told the plant girl. "Rouge has to pay for any damages to it!"

The bat shrugged. "I would, if I'd filled out the forms using my real name."

Everyone except Anita stared at her. "That's dishonest!" Cosmo cried, trying to keep from dripping too much on the seat cushion. "Perhaps I should get out and walk."

"Don't be a ditz," Amy said. "Tails would get there before you did!"

The sky darkened. The rain became heavier, huge drops that seemed to explode as they struck the windows. Although it was still morning, it seemed like twilight. Cosmo got out two more times to ask directions from the flora of the area. While she was out the second time, Cream, digging through their luggage, found a couple of plastic bags, and spread them across Cosmo's seat.

"Your hair looks very pretty wet, Cosmo," Cream said.

"Why thank you, Cream," Cosmo said, smiling at her. "You're very pretty too."

"Hey!" Amy said, making a face. "What about me?"

"You're pretty too, Amy," Cream said.

"Hey, hey," Rouge complained. "You guys are going to make my teeth fall out!"

Cosmo stared at her. "What? I don't understand what you mean, Rouge."

"She means you guys are being so sweet, she can't stand it," Anita said. She laced her fingers together and tilted her head to one side. "Aww…but you're pretty too, Rouge!"

"Shut up!" Rouge said. "Don't make me go back there!"

"Well, you're pretty too, Anita," Cream said, unable to leave anyone out.

"Aw, I'll bet you say that to all the ugly girls," Anita said. She started singing a song called, "I'm An Ugly Girl." Amy joined her. Cream and Cosmo looked blankly at each other. Rouge hit her head against the steering wheel.

"But you're not ugly, either of you!" Cream insisted.

"Why would either of you say that?" Cosmo asked, staring wide eyed at both of them.

"You two take everything so seriously!" Anita said, throwing an arm around each of the two younger girls. "I remember when I was that innocent." Her eyes grew hard. She had never told anyone all that had happened to her during her imprisonment by Doctor Eggman. Like Cosmo, she had scars on the inside that didn't show, but never completely went away.

"Me too," Amy said. "How 'bout you, Rouge? Were you ever that innocent?"

"No, I was born with a cigar in one hand and a glass of champagne in the other," Rouge said.

"Huh?" Cream said.

"I beg your pardon?" Cosmo added.

"Never mind," Rouge said, noticing a large building in the car's high beams. "I think we're there!"

Amy squinted. "Gross!" she cried. "I hope not!"

****

Tails handed a large coil of wire to Knuckles. "Here, set this up around the perimeter of the area. Then I'll connect it to the electro analyzer and we'll be able to observe any hindering of the flow of the electromagnetic efficiency."

Knuckles stared at him. "Uh…I got 'set this up around the area,'" he said.

"It's very simple, really," Tails assured him. "Anyone approaching the Master Emerald will activate the security system we're assembling and communicate to the Guardian any contingencies that may need to be dealt with."

Knuckles smacked his forehead. "Simple for you! Difficult for me!"

Tails sweat dropped. "Sorry," he said. "I'm afraid I have a tendency to ramble on sometimes. I mean, once we've set all of this up, you'll be able to leave the Master Emerald for longing periods of time. I'll make a device you can wear like a watch that will warn you if someone breaks into the perimeter and attempts to take it."

"Do you talk that way around Cosmo?" Knuckles demanded, finally taking the wire. "Does she understand that techno babble any better than I do?"

Tails considered this for a moment. "She has seemed a bit overwhelmed once in awhile," he admitted. "But she's always insisted that she doesn't mind."

"That's because she's in love," Knuckles pointed out, starting to unravel the wire. "She puts up with your blathering the same way you put up with her walking in the rain barefoot."

Tails had considered that possibility, but had never had it pointed out so clearly to him.

"We've been trying so hard to be more open and honest with each other," he thought. "But I guess we're still holding back unpleasant information from each other. I've got to start trying harder on our relationship! If only I could have gone with her to the beach house." He looked around at the blasted area around the temple, caused by a recent Eggman attack. "But I have obligations! Anyway, she's with Amy and Cream and Anita. I just hope Rouge doesn't fall back into her old ways. She never did like Cosmo."

"Tails? Hey, fox boy!" Tails jumped. Knuckles was glaring at him. "I said I'm finished! Try staying on one planet for awhile, kid!"

"Sorry," Tails said. "I was just thinking about Cosmo. And the other girls, of course. I hope they're okay where they're going."

"A house on the beach?" Knuckles demanded. He let out a snort. "Why wouldn't they be? I'll be glad when we finish this so we can get out there with them!"

"Yeah," Tails said. He looked in the direction they were traveling. "Looks like storm clouds that way. I hope they didn't drive right into a hurricane or something! I wish Sonic were here so he could go check on them."

"He's over on the other side of the world, answering some whiny character's cry for help, right?" Knuckles asked.

"Yeah, I offered to go with him," Tails said. "But Sonic was sure he could handle it by himself."

"Sure he can," Knuckles assured him. "That guy is incredibly annoying, but there are very few characters out there that can give him any trouble in a fight." He snorted, then added, "let's get this over with so we can join the girls at the beach!"

"You bet!" Tails said, trying not to laugh. Despite his gruffness and complaining, it was obvious that Knuckles had a lot of respect for Sonic. Maybe they were finally becoming friends. Tails returned to his work. Eggman, or Rouge, or anyone else, wouldn't be getting near the Master Emerald again once they through!

****

The house they had been promised would supposed to be a great vacation home, big enough for all of their friends. The building they were now approaching was certainly large enough to accommodate them and at least a dozen more people. Unfortunately, it looked like it hadn't been occupied by anyone in more than a dozen years. It seemed to somewhat sag on its foundations. The windows were small and gabled, and most seemed to be boarded up. Even in the dim light, they could make out a hole in the roof, which seemed about to crumble to the ground. There were marble pillars in front of the house on either side, crackled and weatherbeaten.

"We've been took!" Rouge yelled, hitting the brakes. Anita would have been tossed into the front seat again if Cream and Cosmo hadn't grabbed her. "When I see the jerk that sold us the lease, I'm going to kick his teeth out!"

"I knew it was too good to be true when I read the price," Anita said.

"Well, I've got the key," Amy said. "We might as well go in."

Everyone except Cosmo grabbed a beach blanket and covered their heads. Cosmo, already soaked, just jumped out of the car without a second thought. Their shoes made soft squishing sounds as they walked along the driveway, which appeared to be nothing but mud. The steps leading up to the house were slick, and Cream slipped, nearly falling over backwards, on the third step. Amy quickly grabbed her with one hand, and the hand railing with the other. It shifted slightly under their weight, but held.

"Whew!" Cream sighed. "Thanks, Amy!"

"This place isn't safe!" Amy said, pushing the handrail back into positition. "We really need Tails here to fix this place up!"

Cream looked up at the old house and swallowed hard. "I wish that some boy were here," she said shakily. "This place looks haunted!"

"Ghosts are only lost spirits, unable to find their way into the next world," Cosmo said softly. Everyone stared at her. Cosmo, being a plant and an alien, had always been a bit odd to her animal friends. Since coming back from the dead, her strangeness had seemed to get worse. This was a constant source of worry for everyone, most especially Tails and Cosmo herself.

Amy put the key in the keyhole. "It's kinda stuck. Okay, here we go." She turned the doorknob, and gave the door a push. CRRRREEEEAAAAKKKKKKKKKKK! Cream grabbed Cosmo.

"That figures," Rouge said. "Who wants to bet the whole house falls over before the end of the summer?"

"Don't say things like that!" Amy cried. "You're scaring Cream!"

"No, I was scared before she said anything!" Cream said, burying her face in Cosmo's dress. Since it was soaking wet, that wasn't really a good idea. She snorted. "Sorry. I got water up my nose."

"That's my fault, Cream," Cosmo said.

"Oh, cool!" Anita said, stepping inside. "We'll have to tell ghost stories on U-bon."

"You mean you're going to say dreadful things about the dead," Cosmo said, following her. "Why do the living fear the dead so much?"

"Cosmo!" Amy cried. "That's enough!"

"Oh!" Cosmo cried, bowing. "Sorry!"

The inside of the house was so dark, they could barely see anything. Amy fumbled along the wall and found a light switch. She clicked it. Nothing. "No power," she said sadly. "We have flashlights, right?"

Rouge sighed. "I'm going to introduce the guy that pawned this off on us to all new kinds of pain."

"I'll get the flashlights," Cosmo said. "I don't mind being wet." She started back to the car.

Amy shook her head. "I'd better go with her in case she drops them in the water." She held her blanket over her head and started after the Seedrian, who was standing beside the car.

"Um…I don't have a key," Cosmo said, embarrassed.

Amy slapped her forehead. "Me neither! Hey, Rouge! Toss me the key!"

Rouge threw the key. It went over Amy's head and landed in a puddle next to Cosmo. "Nice toss," Amy said, snorting as she bent to pick it up. She opened the trunk, then started going through their bags. "We do have flashlights, don't we, Cosmo?"

"Uh…I think so," Cosmo said, helping her. "Oh, here we are!" She handed Amy a flashlight. "I hope it works." She picked up another, clicked it on.

"Hey!" Amy cried, covering her eyes with her hand. "Watch it!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Amy!" Cosmo said, clicking off the light.

Luckily, Tails had made out a list of items for them to bring on the trip, and had insisted that each of them stick to the list. They got flashlights for everyone, then Amy pulled out a big water cooler. "This should be enough food for us for awhile. Grab that orange bag over there, Cosmo, then let's get back to the house."

"Roger," Cosmo said, struggling to pull it out. She fell over backwards, the bag landing on her. Luckily, she'd placed her flashlight inside, and zipper up the bag.

Amy tried not to laugh. "You okay, Cosmo?"

"A little embarrassed," the plant girl said, starting to get up. "But otherwise I'm fine."

When they returned to the house, Anita said, "Nice comedy routine, you two! When's the next performance?"

"Oh, hush," Amy said, handing her a flashlight. She gave one to Cream and one to Rouge.

Unfortunately, the house looked creepier with light. Spiderwebs were everywhere. There were holes in the rug, which appeared in the dim glow of the flashlights to be an orangy-brown. There was the smell of dust and wood warped by water in the air. Cream gasped at the sight of large white objects, then realized they were only sheets covering furniture. A large black grandfather's clock stood in the center of one wall, its glass cracked, long stilled.

"No one's been here in years and years!" Amy said, wrinkling her nose. "And there's dust everywhere!"

Anita stepped inside. At the touch of her foot on the rug, dust flew up. "This place is almost as bad as my prison cell!"

"It sure looks haunted!" Cream said, hiding behind Amy. "I remember the ghosts on Earth! They got really, really, really mad when their slumber was disturbed!"

"Yeah?" Rouge said loudly, her voice echoing in the big old house. "Well, if anything in here says boo to me, I'll disturb it all right!"

"You sound disturbed," Anita muttered.

"Quiet, you!" Rouge said. "Let's see just how bad this place is!"

As the five girls walked through the living room, none of them noticed they were being watched. A shadowy figure observed them for a few minutes, then seemed to vanish into the walls.

Some summer beach house! Should Amy, Rouge, Anita, Cream, and Cosmo just turn around and go home now? Or is it already too late?


	2. Chapter 2

SUMMER HAUNTING

Chapter Two

"A Sinking Feeling"

Amy pulled one of the white, actually off-white, sheets onto the dusty floor, revealing a large ottoman. "Doesn't look too comfortable," she said, starting to sit down on it. She stopped and looked at Cosmo. "You try it, Cos." If it broke, Amy didn't want to be the one suddenly sitting on the dingy floor.

Cosmo sat down on the long, armless, backless sofa, and promptly fell over backwards. "Part of this couch is missing!" she cried from the floor.

"Don't lean back on something like that, ding-a-ling!" Amy said, helping her up. Cosmo was now covered with dust.

"Look at yourself!" Amy cried, trying to brush her off. This raised a cloud of dust. Cream sneezed. Anita started giggling. "Quiet, you!" Amy said to the other hedgehog.

"Cosmo, stop letting Amy talk you into things!" Rouge said. "That's my job!" She looked around the place in disgust. "Well, I can see we've got a job ahead of us, ladies! Of course, I'll be supervisor."

Cream sighed. "I already know that you and I are going to be the manual laborers, Cheese."

"Chao chao," Cheese agreed sadly.

"Well, work doesn't bother me," Cosmo said. "I just hope we can find some brooms."

"Let's finish seeing what we have to do first," Anita said. "Come on, this place may be a dump, but aren't you curious about the rest of it?"

"As I remember," Amy pointed out to Anita, "you used to hate dust worse than anybody. Which was really weird, considering you also used to eat sand."

Anita yanked off another sheet, the dust flying at Amy, who jumped back and covered her face. "That was before I spent three years as Eggman's prisoner," she pointed out. "And sand isn't the same as dust. Besides, I could never resist a dare. At least this sofa has arms and a back. Hey, Cosmo, want to try sitting down on this one?"

Cosmo started to do so, then stopped. "Are you two going to keep having me test everything to see if I fall down?"

"Of course not," Amy said.

"Sure, why not?" Anita said at the same time. "Just kidding. I'll try this one." She sat down on the old sofa and proceeded to sink into it. "Whoa! Quicksand! Somebody throw me a rope!"

Cosmo and Cream grabbed her hands and helped her out of the sagging cushion. "This place is almost like a fun house," Cream said. "Only I'm not having any fun so far. Are you, Cheese?"

"Chao chao." Cheese had somehow managed to get covered with dust.

Cream sighed as she brushed Cheese off. "I can see that dusting is going to be a full time job here."

"Well, I like dirt," Cosmo said. "I'll be happy to do the dusting."

"You're welcome to that job," Rouge said, removing another dusty sheet to reveal a table. A coiled dragon made of red crystal stood on it. All eyes moved to the figure. "Well, well. Finally something interesting about this place! I wonder what it's worth?"

"You're not seriously thinking of stealing it, are you?" Amy demanded, placing her hands on her hips.

"Hey, Pinkie, the guy ripped us off," Rouge pointed out, examining the dragon more closely. "Why shouldn't we help ourselves to some of the bric-a-brac?"

"How about because it's stealing, and stealing is wrong?" Amy said. She'd never liked Rouge, but the chance of going in with her on a summer beach house had been irresistible. Now that she'd gotten a good look at the place, she was starting to change her mind.

"She's right, Miss Rouge," Cream told her. "It's not nice to take what doesn't belong to you."

"I agree," Cosmo said. "Just because someone treated us wrong, it doesn't justify us treating them the same way."

"What would you do with it, anyway?" Anita asked, "Leave it sitting around in your cave to scare people?"

"It's just the thrill of the hunt," Rouge said. She shrugged and turned away from the statue, not noticing the sudden sparkle in its amber colored eyes.

"Let's see the next room," Cosmo suggested, hoping to change the subject before a fight started. She shined her light on a door. It opened with a thin creak onto a kitchen. The floor had small cracks in it. She ran her light over the room. There were several cupboards, one without a door. There were a few dusty, cobwebbed-covered glasses in one cupboard, and a large, crystal punch bowl inside of another. "This looks nice," she said. "I wonder if we can clean it up and use it?"

"Look at this sink!" Cream said, shining her light on the cracked faucets. "Do you think it works, Cheese?" The chao shrugged. The little bunny turned on one of the faucets. Nothing happened. "I didn't think so," she said sadly.

"I hope we brought enough water," Cosmo said. "I can live on rainwater, but I don't think Amy or Rouge would be too happy about that."

"I noticed a pump when we came in," Rouge said. "You can go out later and see if it works, Cosmo, since you like the rain anyway."

"I'm not sure I want to drink from that," Amy said. "The pipes are probably all rusty."

Rouge smirked. "Hey, I didn't say I would drink the water either," the bat pointed out. "I just thought it would be interesting to see Cosmo go out into the rain and try it."

"You're terrible," Amy said.

"That's okay," Cosmo said quickly, taking a step away from the older girls. "I'll be happy to go out and try it."

"Here are some knives, spoons, and forks," Cream said, opening a drawer. "Why are they all dark grey?"

"They're tarnished," Cosmo explained, "they must be real silver."

"Really?" Rouge said, pushing past Cosmo to look. "Silverware that's really silver. This place is starting to get interesting! Wonder what else is in here that might be valuable?"

"You're not stealing anything!" Cream insisted, pushing the drawer shut.

"You didn't buy this house," Cosmo pointed out. "You don't have the right to anything here."

"Okay, okay," Rouge said, holding up her hands. "Don't blow a gasket."

"A what?" Cream asked Cosmo.

"I think Tails uses them for something in motors," Cosmo said. "I'm not sure what."

"Nothing in the freezer," Amy said, opening a large ice box in one corner of the kitchen. "Not even an empty ice cube tray." She felt around inside. "It's kind of cold, but not really cold."

"Duh," Rouge said, rolling her eyes. "There's no power, remember?"

"I knew that!" Amy said, putting the cooler inside. "I guess this is still the best place for our food. Anybody hungry now?"

"No thank you, Amy," Cosmo said.

"Not yet," Cream said, "how about you, Cheese?"

"Chao chao," Cheese said, shaking his head.

"Nobody's hungry?" Amy said, closing the freezer door. "Too freaked out by this creepy place, huh?"

"Not me," Anita said. "I just want to see the rest of this place first. I don't know about you guys, but I think this spook house is pretty cool!"

"I think you're pretty weird!" Rouge said. "But I'm a bat, so dark, spooky places don't bother me. I just don't like the dust and spider webs."

"This house doesn't scare me, either," Cream said, hugging Cheese. "Much."

"Chao chao!" Cheese said.

"Don't worry," Amy assured the youngest member of the group. "I'm sure this place isn't haunted."

"It must be sad," Cosmo said moodily. "Being dead, but unable to pass on. If anyone _is _haunting this house, we should try to find and help them."

"Your plant friend is creepier than this house!" Rouge told Amy.

"Leave her alone!" Cream said fiercely. Everyone stared at the little bunny. Although normally so soft-spoken she sometimes seemed shy and timid, when defending a friend, Cream became a tiger. "You'd be strange too if you died and came back!" She suddenly realized what she'd said. "Oh! Oh, Cosmo! I…I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay, Cream," Cosmo assured her, although she looked a little hurt. "I suppose I would seem very strange to all of you even if I hadn't died. Because I'm a plant and an alien from another world."

"That just makes you cool!" Anita said, winking at Cosmo as she gave her a thumbs up. When she did that, it was surprising how much like her brother, Sonic, she looked.

"We should decide where we're going to sleep and start tidying this place up," Cream said. "Right, Cheese?"

"Chao?" Cheese said. He was looking into a cupboard.

"We'll stock this place with food after it stops raining," Cream promised.

"Where are we going to get it?" Cosmo asked. "I didn't see any stores nearby."

"We'll just have to use your tree talking talents some more," Anita suggested. "Maybe they can tell us something."

"Well, maybe," Cosmo said. "But it might take a long time and I might have to ask a lot of plants."

"Or we can go by my map," Amy said.

"Yeah," Rouge said, rolling her eyes. "Because that worked so great for us already…"

Amy stuck her tongue out at Rouge. Rouge glared back at her.

Cosmo and Cream looked at each other, worried. Cream whispered in Cosmo's ear, "This isn't going well."

Cosmo nodded and whispered back, "And we only just arrived."

Cream shut her eyes tightly. "I have a feeling we're going to be breaking up their fighting a lot."

"Are we going to explore the rest of the house or not?" Anita demanded, opening the back door in the kitchen. It led outside, to something that made them all feel a bit happier.

"A swimming pool!" Cosmo cried, stepping outside. She walked past a patch of flowers to the pool. An extension of the roof covered the pool, keeping out the rain. She got down on her hands and knees, then reached one hand towards the water.

"How is it, Cosmo?" Cream asked, following her.

"Very cold," Cosmo said, pulling her hand back. "It wouldn't bother me much, but I wouldn't suggest anyone going for a swim."  
Cream had just touched the water as Cosmo said that. She gasped and yanked her hand away from the water. "Y-you're right! It's fr-freezing!"

"I'm sorry, Cream," Cosmo said, standing up. "I should have warned you sooner."

"That's okay," Cream said, rubbing her hand on her coat.

"I think all this mechanical stuff is supposed to heat the pool," Amy said, looking at some equipment beyond the pool. "Anybody have any idea how to work it?"

"Nope," Cream said.

"Not I," Cosmo said.

"Well don't look at me!" Rouge demanded, folding her arms.

"Shoot," Anita said. "I don't know much about machinery either. Guess we'll have to wait until Tails shows up to use the pool." She grinned. "Or we could ask Marine when she shows up."

"That ninny would probably set it to boil us like lobsters," Rouge said.

"It's too cold today anyway," Rouge said. "We'd all freeze our butts off as soon as we got out of the water. And if you really want to get wet, I can help you out there." She tried to push Anita out into the rain. The hedgehog leaped out of the way and Rouge found herself standing in the rain. She turned around and jumped back under the roof. "I'll get you for that!" she hissed.

"You started it," Anita pointed out. "Now let's go back in and continue our tour." She turned and walked back to the door, only to find it had closed on them. "Uh oh. Who's got the key now?"

"I do," Rouge said, unlocking the door. "You think I'd trust any of you space cadets?" She glared at Anita. "I'll deal with you later."

"Perhaps there's something interesting over this way," Cosmo said quickly, hurrying across the kitchen in hopes of breaking up a fight. She slipped on a wet footprint and slid into the living room, where she ended up falling on the overly soft couch and sinking into it. "Um…help…?"

"Hang on, Cosmo, I'm coming to save you!" Anita said, holding up a finger in imitation of her brother. "Rescue party, I'm going in! Tell my husband I love him very much!" She pulled the plant girl out of the couch.

"Thank you," Cosmo said, then stared at the hedgehog. "Husband?"

"It's a joke," Anita said. "People say that when they're doing dangerous things like climbing high mountains or white water rafting."

"Um…all right…" Cosmo said, still confused. Then she got it. "I see. It's like when Tails told me he loved me when I…" She didn't finish that statement.

"You're not having a flashback, are you?" Cream asked, looking worried. Tails had had them for months after the events at Coordinates zero zero zero.

"No, I'm okay," Cosmo said. "Just thinking. You know how I am about daydreaming."

"This couch is a hoot," Anita said, patting it. Dust flew up in her face. "Oh, wise guy, huh?"

"I should have brought a camera," Amy said, giggling. "Cosmo and Anita versus the Killer Couch!"

"I'm sure the couch wouldn't really try to hurt us if it could think, Amy," Cream said, looking at the old piece of furniture. "It needs to be fixed before anybody else sinks into it, though."

"Tails can take care of that, too," Anita said, crossing the living room and tugging on the door at the end. "Let's see what else we're stuck with for the Summer."

The door opened to a hallway. There were four doors along the far side. The first opened onto a bathroom. There was another old stone sink and a tub with feet.

Cream looked around. "Uh…where's the…"

"We'd better have a toilet," Rouge said. "I didn't see an outhouse in the back, and I ain't no bear."

"Huh?" Cosmo said, looking at Cream.

"I don't have any idea," Cream said.

"Must be Earth talk because I don't know what she's talking about either," Anita said.

"Something you heard at GUN?" Amy asked.

"Skip it," Rouge said, walking down the hall to the next door. This one held another old sink, more discolored than the others, and a toilet.

"That's a relief," Amy said. Then she noticed the odor. She put her hand over her nose. "Oh, gross…"

"I think the last person here forgot to flush," Cream said, backing out of the room.

"I think I already know who's going to end up cleaning that," Cosmo said, holding her hand where a nose would have been if she'd had one.

"_I_ think we should be bears today," Rouge said. "Close that door!"

Anita kicked it shut. "You're right, Cream," she said. "This is almost like an amusement park. Eggmanland. If he knew about this place, he'd be all, 'Ho ho ho! I'll show those pesky animals! I'll stink them to death!'"

"I think the next time we beat him," Amy said, holding her stomach like she was going to be sick, "we should drag him down here and make him use that bathroom."

"Two doors left," Anita said, reaching out for the doorknob of the next one. "Let's see what's behind this one."

This door opened onto a bedroom. Besides the bed, there was an old writing desk, a badly discolored chair, and a wardrobe. Everything was covered with dust. "Bet whoever tries to sleep in that bed finds herself on the floor," the bat said. "Cosmo?"

Cosmo sighed. "You _do _want to see me keep falling on the floor," she said, brushing the dust off of the bedspread so that she could sit on it. "So far so good," she said. "It hasn't collapsed on me, pulled me in, or thrown me onto the floor yet."

"Shoot," Rouge said. She met Amy's eye. The pink hedgehog was glaring at her. She grinned. "I mean…_good_…"

"I hope there are more rooms upstairs," Anita said. "Otherwise it's going to get really cramped when the others get here."

"There have to be," Amy said, pushing past her. "Let's go!"

The last door opened onto a flight of stairs. They were old, made of a reddish-brown wood. The hand railing didn't look very safe.

Cosmo sighed. "I'll go first," she said. "If I fall I can float back down."

Cream placed her hand on Cosmo's shoulder. "Maybe I should go," she suggested. "I can fly."

Cosmo smiled and patted Cream's hand. "It's okay," she said. "I'll be very careful."

Cosmo placed her foot on the first step. _CREEAAKKK! _Cosmo sighed. "Poor thing," she said softly. "You haven't been properly cared for."

"It's dead, Cosmo," Rouge told her.

"It was a living tree once," Cosmo pointed out. She continued up the steps. Several of them creaked.

"Creaking means the wood might give way, right?" Amy asked.

"Yes, well, let's hope not, shall we?" Cosmo asked, about halfway up. At the top she turned and looked down. "It seems safe. Just be careful and don't put too much weight on the handrail."

"Here's another thing for Tails to fix," Anita said, starting up the stairs.

At the top of the stairs, a long, dark corridor, with slightly discolored walls and an ancient carpet with several stains in it, led to twelve doors, six on either side. Everyone carefully avoided the stains on both rug and walls.

"What do you think these are?" Amy asked distastefully, pointing at a stain. She stuck her tongue out.

"Some sort of fungus, I'm pretty sure," Cosmo said. "I really don't want to get close enough to be certain. Don't breath too deeply, everyone."

"Aw, man," Rouge said, covering her mouth and nose with her hand. "I didn't sign up to get mold in my lungs! This is disgusting!"

"The fungus among us!" Anita said.

"This place is going to have to be completely redone before we can have a party here," Amy said, opening a door onto a small bedroom. Nothing was inside except for a dusty bed. The other doors led to other bedrooms, two with a night table and chair, one with a wardrobe. At least the rooms didn't seem to have any of the mildew. None of the rooms were as large as the one on the ground floor.

"What's that on the ceiling?" Cream asked, pointing up at the end of the hall. There was a large square opening, covered by what looked like a piece of the ceiling.

"Must be the way up into the attic," Amy said.

"No kidding," Rouge snorted. "Only why is there no way to open it?"

"Maybe there is from up there?" Cream asked, flapping her ears and rising towards the ceiling.

"Careful, Cream," Cosmo said nervously. "Don't touch any of those discolorations."

"Don't worry, I won't!" Cream said firmly. She stopped and hovered high enough to flap her ears without them touching the ceiling. She reached up and pushed on the "door."

"Careful," Amy said. "It might open up and dump a ladder down on us!"

But all that happened was the covering moved with a scraping sound, revealing a pitch black hole in the ceiling. Cosmo shined her light into the gap.

"Can you see anything, Cream?" the plant girl asked.

Cream squinted and waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. "Not really," she said. "It looks like…eep!" She lowered herself quickly to the floor.

"What is it?" Cosmo and Amy both called at the same time.

"I saw a ghost!" Cream said. Everyone looked up at the opening.

"A ghost?" Cosmo said.

"A ghost?" Amy echoed.

"And nobody has a camera," Anita said.

Rouge snorted. "You probably saw a sheet covering some more old furniture," she pointed out. She grabbed the light out of Cosmo's hand and flew up to the opening. She shined the light around.

"Well?" Amy demanded. "Don't just leave us in suspense like that!" What do you see?"

"Like I said, just an old sheet," Rouge said. No one could see the grin that proved she'd enjoyed keeping the others guessing for a minute. "Several, actually. There's a lot of old junk up here. Looks like they used the attic for storage. But we can check this place out tomorrow. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm starting to experience jetlag." She pushed the covering back over the gap in the ceiling then floated back down.

"Yeah, I could use a few winks myself," Amy said, yawning. "Let's fix up three rooms enough to sleep in for the night and get some shut eye."

"Thirteen bedrooms," Cosmo said softly. "There are five of us here, and four more girls coming, five if Princess Sally shows up. Plus the boys…"

"Thirteen…" Cream said softly.

"I'll stay with Cream," Amy said quickly, putting her arm around her friend. "Anita, do you mind sharing with Cosmo?"

"Course not," Anita said, looking at the plant girl. "If she snores I'll clobber her. Kidding!" she added as she noticed Cosmo cringe a little. She clasped the plant girl's shoulder. "Don't be so serious all the time."

"I guess I could double up with Knuckles when he gets here…" Rouge said.

"No way!" Amy cried, waving her hands in front of her. "No boy/girl room assignments! No hanky-panky while we're here. That's not how you have a Summer romance." Her eyes got fuzzy and dreamy looking. She clasped her cheeks. "A Summer romance is where a boy and a girl look at each other shyly over a soda with two straws on the beach and go for a moonlit stroll hand in hand with the seagulls laughing in the distance and the gentle crashing of the waves against the shore. Not something crude and vulgar and disgusting!"

Rouge stared at the hedgehog girl as if she'd lost her mind. "You've got rocks in your head, kid," she said. "Maybe that's fine for your little teenybopper beach party, but you can't expect adults to behave like children."

"Speaking of children," Amy said, glaring at the bat. "Might I point out that Cream and Cosmo are present, and shouldn't be hearing that kind of talk?"

"I don't get it," Cream said, looking at Cosmo. "What's Amy talking about?"

"Don't look at me, Cream," Cosmo said, looking back at the rabbit. "I'm confused most of the time."

Anita yawned. "Let's get those rooms fixed up halfway decent already and go to bed," she said. "It may be early, but I think we should all get some sleep. Big day cleaning up this dump tomorrow."

Rouge yawned and stretched. "Yeah, I'm ready to turn in," she said.

"Ah, but turn into what, that's the question, isn't it?" Anita quipped.

"Oh, quiet, you," Rouge said, rolling her eyes. "And I thought Amy was annoying."

"Hey!" Amy cried. "Since when was I annoying?"

"Well let's see…" Rouge said, acting like she was counting on her fingers. "I've known you how long now…?"

"At least I was on the right side of the law at the time," Amy pointed out.

Rouge took a step towards Amy, her brows knitting together. "Oh, that does it. Come here, pinky!"

"Oh no," Cream said, grabbing and hugging Cheese. "Please don't fight."

"Amy, no…" Cosmo begged.

Anita stepped between them. "Whoa, hold on there now," she said, grinning. "This is a no fighting zone. Feel free to go downstairs and step out into the rain if you want to kick each other's patooties."

Everyone suddenly noticed the rain had grown worse. A loud wind could be heard blowing outside.

"She'd better just watch what she says," Rouge said, walking away. Amy opened her mouth. Anita shook her head firmly.

"Let's just get a couple of rooms set up for the four of us," Anita said, pulling on Amy's arm. "Rouge can take care of her own room. Come on."

"Yeah, you're right," Amy said, sticking her tongue out at the bat. Luckily Rouge didn't turn around and see it.

"Is it over, Cosmo?" Cream asked softly.

"I think so," Cosmo replied. "But I'm worried about how long the two of them can stay under the same roof without something worse happening."

Cream nodded sadly. "Yeah, me too. Cheese feels the same way about it."  
"Chao," Cheese said, also nodding.

…

"Come on, Tails," Sonic said to the fox. "I know you're worried about Cosmo, but she'll be fine. She's with Amy and Rouge and my sis. They'll take care of her. And you'll be able to join her in a few days."

"I know," Tails said, going back to his work. He wondered how long he'd been staring out into space instead of working. Probably not long, but Sonic had very sharp eyes. "I know, but…"

"She's not going to leave you again," Sonic said, placing a strange metallic device where the inventor had directed him. "I know you had a bad scare after what happened to her, but she's back now. She's not going to disappear if you don't see her for a few days. And this is really important."

"I know," Tails said again, shaking his head to chase away his morbid thoughts. "You're right, this is important."

Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles were updating the security system on Angel Island. Eggman had recently hacked into the existing system and managed to get six of the chaos emeralds hidden throughout the island before they had been able to stop him. Luckily, the doctor had fled the country when they destroyed his latest invention, and a tracking device on his Eggmobile showed he was still there. Of course, there was always the chance he had discovered the transmitter and left it somewhere, so exactly how much time they'd have before he returned was unknown.

"I just wish we didn't have to do this now of all times," Tails said, turning a dial, causing the wiring of the pylon Sonic had just set up to glow. "Just when the girls leave town for their vacation!"

"Yeah, I know," Sonic said as the fox turned the machinery off. "Amy's been talking about it for weeks."

"How are the two of you getting along?" Tails asked, writing some figures on a clipboard. Although it would be dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands, Tails preferred having a paper copy of anything he made. Something that wouldn't require access to a computer to go over it.

Sonic sighed and leaned against a tree. "I don't know," he admitted. "Things seem to be going great, then Amy starts acting weird again, or Sally asks for my help with something…"

Tails shook his head as he made calculations. "You're going to need to make a decision soon, Sonic…"

"I know that," the hedgehog agreed, looking away. "I was planning to make up my mind this Summer. I'm eager to get to the beach too, little buddy. Sally won't be along for a couple of weeks, some kind of royal pageant or something, and I was hoping to have some time to hang out with Amy and see how I felt when Sally showed up. But after we're finished here, I really need to check and make sure for myself that Eggman's not going to be back for awhile. That will probably take at least a couple of days…"

"Well, good luck, whatever you decide," Tails said, completing his calculations. "Huh. That's strange…must have made a mistake somewhere." He started going over his figures again.

…

Cream sighed. Nope, she just couldn't sleep. She got up. Brrr! The floor was freezing under her bare feet. She quietly put on her slippers and dressing gown, being careful not to wake Amy or Cheese, who were asleep in the same room.

Cream walked down the hall, careful not to make any noise. She didn't want to wake the others either. They were all very unhappy with the house, and she couldn't blame them. She'd seen movies where people went to beach houses and had fun. This was more like one of those scary pictures that she hated. "Beach Zombie Bingo," or something.

Cream leaned gently on the banister as she walked down the stairs. Maybe she'd be able to sleep if she got something to eat. She'd been so tired after fixing up their rooms for the evening, when Amy had asked if anyone wanted dinner, the little bunny had just rolled over and muttered, "Sorry. Sleepy time now. Night night."

"Why am I walking around a spooky old house all alone in the dark?" she asked herself at the foot of the stairs. "It's like…like somebody's calling me or something. Let's see, the kitchen's over this way. Should be okay as long as I shine my light on the floor ahead of me and don't look around at anything scary. Why am I talking to myself? I guess to keep my courage up. Ha ha! I'm losing it!"

In the kitchen, she opened the ice box and pulled out the cooler. "I'll just take a sandwich and some fruit juice," she said out loud. Yes, there was no doubt about it, talking out loud to herself made her feel less scared. She took her selections out of the cooler, closed it, then bent over into the ice box to lay the cooler back where she'd gotten it. She didn't notice the hand suddenly grab the side and push down. She pulled her head out just in time.

"Whoa!" she cried. "That was close! I'd better be a lot more careful!" She felt her heart beating fast. She turned towards the kitchen table. She'd planned to sit there to eat, but decided after that shock she needed some fresh air. She went to the back door. She started to open it, then looked around.

"I don't want to get myself locked out, I should find something to block the door so it won't close on me." She remembered seeing a small metal box in one of the cupboards. _Let's see…yes, here it is_. She picked it up, returned to the back door. She pulled the door open. CREEAAAKK! "Please don't do that, Mister, Door, you're scaring me!" _And now I'm talking to a door! _ She wedged the box into the doorway so that the door wouldn't close on her. She didn't want to wake everyone up pounding on the door and screaming to be let in.

Outside, the rain had become a light drizzle, but the darkness approaching clouds told her a lot more rain was coming. She pulled her robe tighter around her. It was cold, but the flowers along the wall smelled very nice. She walked over the awning, planning to eat her snacks next to a patch of rhododendrons in the far corner.

Cream walked past the pool. "I hope we'll able to get the heating to work soon," she said softly to herself. She walked over to the water's edge. A swim might help her to sleep, but Cosmo was the only one of them that could handle such cold water. She had just decided to go back inside when she heard a sound. A footstep? Had she made too much noise and woke somebody? She started to turn towards the sound to apologize when something hit her in the back of the head. She saw the pool seem to somehow move until it was right beneath her. It was only as she hit the freezing water that she realized the pool wasn't the one that had moved.

She opened her eyes, planning to climb out of the pool, but everything was spinning. She couldn't tell which way was up. Bright flashes of light shot across her vision. Her eyes closed, but the lights still flickered. She felt her lungs start to burn. She touched bottom and realized she'd gone the wrong way. She started back up, but her head was killing her and her heart was pounding. Despite her best efforts to keep her mouth shut, it opened before she could reach the surface. Icy water poured in.

"I'm drowning!" she realized, as everything went fuzzy. "Cheese! Mommy! I don't want to leave you! I don't…don't…"

The moon came out from behind a cloud, throwing a dim light on the little bunny as she floated face down in the pool.

To be continued


End file.
